


Stupid Shelf

by schmicomalec



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ficlet, First Meeting, Height difference, M/M, Meeting, Tall Nico, short fic, short levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 04:44:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18933664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schmicomalec/pseuds/schmicomalec
Summary: Written for the height difference prompt: Tall one rescuing short one from catastrophe after short one goes to extraordinary lengths to get something from a tall shelf.





	Stupid Shelf

It was Levi’s first day as a TA and he was determined to make a good impression. Everything was on the line here, his TA credits that he needed to graduate, the housing he was only able to get because of his TA position, the partial scholarship. If he lost this job he was screwed. He’d have to drop out of college and move back into his mom’s basement and go flip burgers and the fast food joint down the street. Nothing was going to stop him from coming out of these last two years with his degree.

Except for this shelf.

Dr. Charleston, the professor he was now a TA for, had asked him to grab a new box of highlighters from the supply closet. It was the simplest task ever, grab something from a room in the same hallway that is on a very clearly labeled and organized shelf.

The only problem was that Levi couldn’t even brush the box with his fingertips when he stood on his toes as tall as physically possible. The box was pushed too far back on the shelf for him to be able to grab it if he jumped and there wasn’t a step ladder anywhere in the supply closet.

As much as it pained him to do so, Levi knew he would have to try to climb the stupid shelf so he could grab the stupid box of stupid highlighters. He doubled checked that no one was in the hallway just to be sure that he would be alone when he sacrificed the last scrap of his dignity.

_ I am a grown man. I am wearing a button down shirt with a tie and khakis. I have a professional job in a professional establishment. And I’m going to climb a supply shelf like a monkey to get a box of highlighters because I’m too short to reach it on my own. Here goes nothing. _

  
  
  
  


Nico was running late. Like, actually running. He had another eleven pages of his thesis that needed to be reviewed and his advisor was very strict about office hours. He had to have the pages on his desk by 11 am this Tuesday or he wouldn’t be able to get them reviewed for another week. 

And his dog chewed through the power cord for his alarm clock so he woke up late. He also forgot to make an Office Max run the other night like he had planned to so he had no paper clips in his apartment, and his advisor was very strict about receiving pages. No staples, had to be paperclipped or he wouldn’t even look at it.

Nico was sprinting down a hallway where he knew there was a supply closet so he could cop a dumb paperclip and then sprint down two floors to turn in his pages to his dumb advisor.

He glanced at his watch and saw that it was currently 10:46 am.  _ Shit. _

He nearly fell flat on his face when he finally reached the supply closet door. He threw it open then dropped all of the pages in his hands on the ground when he saw inside. 

Someone, probably a TA or younger professor based on his wardrobe, was trying and evidently failing to do a pull-up onto one of the top shelves. He had made it up a few already and was in a bit of an awkward position to keep going.

The man climbing the shelf turned around when he heard Nico’s papers drop and yelped. Nico saw his hands let go of the bar they were holding onto and time seemed to slow for a second as he dashed over to the man to help break his fall.

When he landed, it was bridal style in Nico’s arms. He had screwed his eyes shut during his fall and was still tensed. 

He peeked one eye open. “Did I die? Am I dead?”

“No.” Nico chuckled. “I caught you, you didn’t even hit the ground.”

“Oh. Okay, cool.” He stammered slightly. Nico bent his arms to help the stranger stand up.

“Are you okay? From falling, I mean.” He asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine, just had the life scared out of me.” The man sighed. “I was trying to get a stupid box of highlighters down but they’re way too high up and I couldn’t reach them.” 

Nico reached his arm above his head and grabbed the box the other man pointed to with ease. “Here you go.”

“Thank you, oh my god. Why couldn’t you have been here five minutes ago when I started climbing this stupid shelf?”

“Well at least I got here when I did. I would’ve hated if you’d fallen and hurt yourself. I’m Nico by the way.” He held out a hand.

The other man shook it. “Levi. And thank you again. It’s my first day as a TA and I swear I’m a really good student and worker I’m just too short, so sometimes I’m just useless.” He wasn’t kidding. Nico had almost a whole foot on Levi. 

“Being short isn’t useless.”  _ It’s actually adorable _ . “Here let me hold that box for you and you could grab me the paperclips off the bottom shelf.”

Levi handed Nico the highlighters and bent down to get the box he had pointed to. “I appreciate the sentiment but I’m sure you’re more than capable of getting things from lower shelves without a short guy to help you out.”

While he was talking, Nico had taken a sharpie out of his pocket and scrawled his phone number down on the box of highlighters. Levi stood back up fully and handed Nico his box.

“Thank you.” Nico said. “And here’s yours.”

Levi saw the number. “Oh you.. Uh-”

“Just in case you ever need help with tall shelves again.” Nico smiled. He glanced at his watch. 10:53. “I’m sorry I’ve got to go. I have to turn in my pages two floors down and I’ve got seven minutes.” Nico collected his papers and began sprinting again to his advisor’s office. 

He made it with two minutes to spare and regretted leaving the supply closet when he did.  _ I could have talked to Levi for a little while longer. _ Later that day, when he was back home working on an essay, his phone buzzed.

 

**Unknown number**

_ Just in case you ever need any help with low shelves again _

**Author's Note:**

> I will never in my entire life get over how huge Nico is and how tiny Levi is. Height difference prompts are my life fuel, my cells don't even need glucose to make energy anymore just any thought of Schmico height difference.


End file.
